I often get asked this question by my English friends and clients:
Where can I buy LARD in France? Or why can’t I find LARD in France?
Lard is called SAINDOUX in French. You can find it in any supermarket in France, near the pre-packed pâtés or Rillettes (spreadable pâtés), or the fresh charcuterie (deli) section. NOT near the butter and margarine!
I have just bought some to make a pie and the pastry was really crunchy. It is extremely cheap, for instance, I paid 1.66 euros for a 250g pack.
I have always used butter instead but lard (Saindoux) makes a nicer pastry.
What are the uses of saindoux?
There are various uses for saindoux, including sweet and savoury, ranging from cooking stewed fruit to black pudding. My French neighbour’s grandmother used to grease her waffle maker with it, giving her waffles a much lovelier taste. She also used to serve it to the children spread on bread with sugar as a snack after school.
The savoury version is very similar, but with paprika and salt instead of sugar, or simply with salt and pepper. Generally, people use it instead of oil or butter in traditional dishes such as choucroute, and also when making homemade patés.
Saindoux, like lard, is a cheap and versatile ingredient, very easy to find in France… so long as one looks in the correct supermarket aisle!
Thank you so much for the info on lard. Have been looking for a while and my uk lard is running out! Thanks again.
I had been looking without success but obviously in the wrong place – very interesting piece – my mum used to love bread and dripping, we had it many times when we were kids – way too much hype on animal fats and heart disease (now proving to be unfounded) probably killed off these tasty treats.